Ratten's Presser

[fugazi]

A very steady hand on the wheel

Was very happy about Bytel and believes we have found a player.

Held our own for a half then lost our way. Got steamrolled by a more experienced side.

Defended very poorly (obviously) and was disappointed to lose by 10 goals

Jones and Ryder managed due to multiple short turn arounds
Seb wasn't quite ready this week either, next week ok.

Reading between the lines, I think he knew we were struggling to mount a competitive team .
Looked very composed and even had a bit of a laugh with the journo's about the playing surface (he preferred it the week before because we won)


Good to have a grounded yet positive coach.

[bigcarl]

Reading between the lines, I think he knew we were struggling to mount a competitive team

Don’t like resting guys up/flirting with form, but if you are going to do it why not go the whole hog?

[fugazi]

Agreed.
Play 7 guys who are fresh and eager to impress vs tired blokes desperate for a game off.
Take whatever result comes and set up for the following week.

[fugazi]

I suspect if it hadn't been a Monday Night feature game, we might have done this.

[saintsRrising]

I suspect if it hadn't been a Monday Night feature game, we might have done this.

Well if this influenced selection we are done for.

[carn_sainter]

The question for me: was it a case of too many games in too short a period of time with lots of travel and all the associated adversity understandably fatiguing the players, or was it a case of the old downhill skiing saints who, once a game gets to a 5 goal margin, all too often let it get to 10?

I want to say it's the former. And I do think it's somewhat understandable...a game of footy is a very fatiguing thing - mentally, neurologically, more so than physically. But - here's the point - it's understandable from the perspective of a player to be fatigued and not at your best, but it's not understandable or tolerable from the perspective of a club. There is a whole list and a whole footy department, not just the 27 or so guys we generally pick. So as a club, this match was a failure. We were outcoached, for one thing.

Regardless, it's still worrisome that we rolled over and died again. Weeks of building a good percentage undone in a half, plus we just look soft. Our lack of leadership shows up again...we still lack a player or players who can stand up and swing momentum back in our favour when the going gets rough. I honestly think we have some young guys with the potential to develop that attribute, they're just not there yet.

[Teflon]

Liked his comments that you might not play every week like you want to play and you might lose......”but you don’t want to get beat by 10 goals”

He’s pretty good in that he pin points the weakness/issues and calls it out (pressure was down, tackle rate down etc) but finds a positive eg Bytel
Also think it’s pretty clear this group hasn’t worked out how to use Hill yet ....he said several times tonight he had 5 meters on his opponent but we didn’t give him the footy....then last qtr.....tried to give it to him EVERY time....that’ll come as they gel

[fugazi]

Could have seen a side like this

Savage Howard Wilkie

Roberton Clavarino Webster

Hill Steele Marsh

Kent Membrey Hind

Parker Battle Butler

Marshall, Gresham, Sinclair

Geary, Abbott, Long, Bytel/ Phillips/Byrnes



Rest: Clark, Coffield, King, Ryder, Jones, Carlisle, Paton

[Devilhead]

Ratten was on point tonight about the loss but you could see that it is not going to bother him nor stifle the positive direction the club is heading.

For sure there will be blips along the way with this young team but I don't think it will be long before we will be a Top 4 force to be reckoned with.

Losses like tonight hurt but success doesn't come without a few hard learnt lessons along the way.

Surely there wouldn't be one AFL fan who wouldn't be happy to see Brett Ratten coach a Premiership team.

[barneyboyz]

Ratten was on point tonight about the loss but you could see that it is not going to bother him nor stifle the positive direction the club is heading.

For sure there will be blips along the way with this young team but I don't think it will be long before we will be a Top 4 force to be reckoned with.

Losses like tonight hurt but success doesn't come without a few hard learnt lessons along the way.

Surely there wouldn't be one AFL fan who wouldn't be happy to see Brett Ratten coach a Premiership team.

Thank you. This is probably all that needs to be said atm. Dissapointing, but hardly the end of the world

[spert]

All very nice, but if we want to establish ourselves as a finals contender, then we can't get flogged by 10 goals in games, we need to be competitive at every game, and if we lose, we go down with a good competitive effort. Ratts is as much to blame as the slack bunch out there last night. We need to rest a couple of players- King being one..he looked lost last night (and the game before too), and Hill just didn't earn a game on that performance.

[Superboot]

2010, Round 16.

2nd on the ladder and lost to Collingwood by 48 points.

Even good teams can take a hammering.

[Devilhead]

Tigers v us 2017

We beat Pies by 88pts in 2009 .... next year guess what

No team is impervious to a good hiding every now and then

[SaintPav]

2010, Round 16.

2nd on the ladder and lost to Collingwood by 48 points.

Even good teams can take a hammering.

Yes, I remember that.

It was the start of some Collingwood run.

I recall we also had a stinker against the Bombers too a few weeks later then came out and smashed Port the following week.

Two vastly different teams and eras though.

I remember just wanting the finals to start.

[asiu]

For sure there will be blips along the way with this young team but I don't think it will be long before we will be a Top 4 force to be reckoned with.

agreed

but we are not a top four side yet
... lids on but loosening

[Sanctorum]

All very nice, but if we want to establish ourselves as a finals contender, then we can't get flogged by 10 goals in games, we need to be competitive at every game, and if we lose, we go down with a good competitive effort. Ratts is as much to blame as the slack bunch out there last night. We need to rest a couple of players- King being one..he looked lost last night (and the game before too), and Hill just didn't earn a game on that performance.

I know what you're getting at spert but I have always felt that this season is a prelude to bigger and better things next year, so as much as I was so very disappointed with the poor show last night it's not indicative of a malignancy.

It was a case of Men v Boys and Geelong were far too experienced and talented - not playing a 2nd ruckman was a blunder on the part of the selectors imho....and don't be too hard on Ratts because he simply didn't have the cattle to overcome the immense pressure applied by the opposition.

A lot of Saints players were down on their previous form and with the Cats sublime midfielders dictating play they were always chasing....

[saynta]

Simple selection. Ryder out, Abbott in ffs. Not hard.

[shanegrambeau]

Simple selection. Ryder out, Abbott in ffs. Not hard.

Saytna,

Are you saying, if Ryder couldn’t play, we should have picked Abbott?
Maybe,is my opinion.

OR

Rest Ryder even if he is good to go, and play Abbott?
Definitely not.
We missed Ryder.
RoMo circa 2020 is miles from 2019 model.

I think it must have been a tough game to debut in for a young tall, but know knows. I don’t think Stanley had a blinder. (Though his kicking for goal thankfully was)

Bytes, so happy about his debut though. Best and only good story from last night.

[saynta]

Simple selection. Ryder out, Abbott in ffs. Not hard.

Saytna,

Are you saying, if Ryder couldn’t play, we should have picked Abbott?
Maybe,is my opinion.

OR

Rest Ryder even if he is good to go, and play Abbott?
Definitely not.
We missed Ryder.
RoMo circa 2020 is miles from 2019 model.

I think it must have been a tough game to debut in for a young tall, but know knows. I don’t think Stanley had a blinder. (Though his kicking for goal thankfully was)

Bytes, so happy about his debut though. Best and only good story from last night.

I should have typed 'if'. If Ryder is an out then Abbott must come in. Sorry about that. Agree with your comments.

[freely]

Has any other team had to play off a 3 1/2 day break so far? Genuine question.

[Saintmatt]

Has any other team had to play off a 3 1/2 day break so far? Genuine question.

I don't recall so. But Essendon is about to do so ... against us this week.

[Sanctorum]

Simple selection. Ryder out, Abbott in ffs. Not hard.

Saytna,

Are you saying, if Ryder couldn’t play, we should have picked Abbott?
Maybe,is my opinion.

OR

Rest Ryder even if he is good to go, and play Abbott?
Definitely not.
We missed Ryder.
RoMo circa 2020 is miles from 2019 model.

I think it must have been a tough game to debut in for a young tall, but know knows. I don’t think Stanley had a blinder. (Though his kicking for goal thankfully was)

Bytes, so happy about his debut though. Best and only good story from last night.

It's a no-brainer Shane, if you've played 4 good matches on the trot with 2 ruckmen as the core of your game plan, why the hell would you go and change that against a really strong opposition and you've got Ryan Abbott ready to go if Paddy Ryder needed a rest, I find that really bewildering and as I said earlier, I reckon the selectors made a major blunder.

Developing a game plan does not happen overnight, and it must be so much harder when you don't have the back-up players competing in the VFL. Ryan Abbott may have only played 5 senior games but he's 29 and just his presence alone at the stoppages would have relieved Marshall to play forward the way he has done in the past month, with great effect.

[stkfc1]

Simple selection. Ryder out, Abbott in ffs. Not hard.

Saytna,

Are you saying, if Ryder couldn’t play, we should have picked Abbott?
Maybe,is my opinion.

OR

Rest Ryder even if he is good to go, and play Abbott?
Definitely not.
We missed Ryder.
RoMo circa 2020 is miles from 2019 model.

I think it must have been a tough game to debut in for a young tall, but know knows. I don’t think Stanley had a blinder. (Though his kicking for goal thankfully was)

Bytes, so happy about his debut though. Best and only good story from last night.

It's a no-brainer Shane, if you've played 4 good matches on the trot with 2 ruckmen as the core of your game plan, why the hell would you go and change that against a really strong opposition and you've got Ryan Abbott ready to go if Paddy Ryder needed a rest, I find that really bewildering and as I said earlier, I reckon the selectors made a major blunder.

Developing a game plan does not happen overnight, and it must be so much harder when you don't have the back-up players competing in the VFL. Ryan Abbott may have only played 5 senior games but he's 29 and just his presence alone at the stoppages would have relieved Marshall to play forward the way he has done in the past month, with great effect.

Agreed. We badly missed Marshall up forward. Abbott is an unknown factor but it would've been good to see what he can do, as Paddy isn't guaranteed every week. From memory he wasn't to bad in the lead up games. I'm glad Phillips got another game but I think they stuffed it up in selection.

[freely]

Has any other team had to play off a 3 1/2 day break so far? Genuine question.

I don't recall so. But Essendon is about to do so ... against us this week.

Will be interesting to see if they struggle. There must be a lower limit to what's possible in terms of turnaround and still be able to get on top of your legs!